


Art on Ice

by lizzrossstories



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Ice Skating, Ladybug/Chat Noir - Freeform, PHYSICS PUNS, Slow Burn, art on ice, figure skating AU, no miraculous, not a yuri on ice au, someone who's only been ice skating twice writes about Olympic level athletes, there will be angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-09-17 15:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9331334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzrossstories/pseuds/lizzrossstories
Summary: Art on Ice is an annual figure skating showcase in Switzerland where the world’s most famous figure skaters and talented musicians bring their talents together to create a show that is unlike any other. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Olympic silver medalist and European gold medalist is beyond excited to participate in her first Art on Ice gala. She’s also hoping to run into French born, Swiss raised Olympic figure skater Adrien Agreste, whose father Gabriel Agreste was famous for his almost unreal perfect technique and cold demeanor. However, this year’s Art on Ice is unlike any other. Participants and their coaches will prepare three solo numbers to perform. They will also be paired with another skater to prepare three ice-dancing pieces. And to top it off, this year’s theme is La Mystère de Glace because all the performers and their coaches will be wearing masks. So what happens when Ladybug is paired with none other than cocky showoff Chat Noir? Art on ice, obviously =^.^=**THIS FIC IS ON HIATUS UNTIL I FINISH MY THESIS. STAY TUNED FOR MORE CONTENT IN 2019**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You can thank the beautiful Stéphane Lambiel for inspiring this fic. Hope you all enjoy!

Ready was an understatement. Marinette was beyond ready to get to her hotel room and just collapse onto her bed. For the past three months she had been preparing non-stop for Art on Ice and while she was extremely excited and honored to be invited to perform for them, right now all she wanted to do was sleep, preferably forever. 

“Just twenty more minutes Mari, dear,” Bridgette said reassuringly, “We’ll be to Zurich soon.”

She smiled at her short coach and then looked to her left where her best friend and agent, Alya, sat fast asleep, red hair splayed across her face. Marinette sighed, wishing she could sleep on planes. They’d taken the last flight out of Paris to Zurich after a long day of practice and costume fittings. Her solo performance pieces were all rehearsed to perfection and she finally had enough of a break in between the Olympics to be able to design her own costumes for the gala. She was however, a little nervous about learning and skating three other pieces with a partner she’s never worked with. 

This year, Art on Ice wanted to incorporate all aspects of performing on ice into the show. Before, figure skaters and musicians were given the opportunity to showcase their talents on ice. Costumes were also a big part of performing and this year, Art on Ice had also hired several up and coming designers to work on costumes for each pair of skaters. And to add to it all, Art on Ice wanted to make things a bit more interesting by having everyone wear masks. 

The idea was to promote international artistic collaboration and appreciation of talent around the world by using masks to bridge the gap of animosity between countries that may otherwise be less than amicable towards each other. No one would know who anyone was until after the final performance on the last day of the four-day gala. And while that was all good, Marinette was more worried about the fact that Art on Ice wanted them to perform three polished pieces with a partner they don’t know. She had spent a good chunk of her time wondering if she would actually manage to get all that done while worrying about another person in just seven weeks. 

“It’ll be fine,” she though to herself for what was probably the thousandth time, sneaking another peak at the ladybug themed mask in her backpack, “This will definitely work.”

She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be anywhere close to the state Alya was in until they got to their hotel. 

***

“Kid, I swear if you smile any wider your face will burst.”

“I don’t care,” Adrien replied, still grinning. His coach, Felix, had recorded a video of him practicing his opening number for Art on Ice with his cat mask on and Adrien loved it. 

“I’ve never skated like that before.”

“Sure you have, kid. You’ve been skating like that for the past two months.”

“You know what I mean, Felix.”

“Yeah, I do.”

He and Felix had just finished watching the video of him skating his new routine for Art on Ice and saying that he was pleased with how it turned out was a grand understatement. He was ecstatic. 

“It’ll be good to show the world that Adrien Agreste was capable of more than what his father let on,” Felix stated bluntly. 

Adrien frowned, but nodded in agreement. Gabriel Agreste had been a phenomenal figure skater in his day, but he was stubborn. Rules of the sport changed dramatically between Gabriel’s retirement from competitive skating and his son’s debut, but Gabriel himself was stuck in times that were long gone. Speaking from a technical standpoint, no one could disagree that Gabriel had been perhaps the most technically advanced figure skater in the history of the sport. It had won him three gold Olympic medals. And while Gabriel had drilled technique into his son’s every move on ice, he scoffed at the growing desire audiences and judges alike had for emotion and musicality in the skating. 

“Figure skating is a sport,” Gabriel would sternly say every time Adrien brought up the idea of focusing on performance instead of technique. “You are being judged on the execution of your routine, not your ability to make silly faces.”

And while Adrien had easily secured a position on Switzerland's Olympic team as in men's singles, after having two Olympic games under his belt, he had yet to win a medal for. Even though the gala was taking place in his city, Zurich, Adrien was lucky that Art on Ice invited him to perform. The name Agreste had opened many doors for him his whole life, but that didn’t seem to change even after his father’s death. He could only hope that he still had the chance to live up to the Agreste name, and dare he hope, maybe shed the cold demeanor that his father carried in favor of something new, something with passion in each step. 

The mask helped. Oh it definitely helped. Narrowly missing the bronze during the last Olympic games taught Adrien that 

"Yeah, we'll show them," Adrien replied softly. 

"Let's just hope they ignore how ridiculous you look in that mask."

Adrien feigned offense, "I look paw-sitively purr-fect."

Felix sighed, "God help whoever is stuck with you for a partner."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elevator shenanigans

“Do you see him?”

“Everyone’s wearing masks, so no I don’t,” Bridgette sighed again, reaching to scratch the top of her nose underneath her ladybug mask identical to the one Marinette wore. 

Marinette fidgeted anxiously in her seat overlooking the fresh ice, desperately trying to not ogle at the other masked skaters coming in with their coaches for the welcome ceremony at the Olympic training facility in Zurich. And she definitely wasn’t trying to see which one of the five blond male figure skaters that had come in so far was Adrien Agreste. 

“Maybe it’s him,” she pointed to a blond wearing a sky blue sweater and a feathered mask that just walked in. “Or maybe not. For all I know he could be anyone. He might not even be blond anymore! Maybe he dyed his hair red! His dad did just die. Maybe that’s his way of coping. Maybe—” 

“Marinette you’re rambling,” Bridgette whispered. “Are you nervous about performing?”

She shook her head, “No, I just, I want Adrien to like me.”

“You two went to collége together, right?”

“Yeah, for a year. He and his father moved to Switzerland the next year. I think his mom had died the year before that. He was always so nice to everyone,” Marinette remembered fondly, and then groaned, putting her head in her hands. “And I was a complete idiot around him.”

“Right, I remember now,” Bridgette smiled. “That was the year you forgot to put on your skates before going on the ice so you slipped and bruised your tailbone. He was at the rink that day wasn’t he?”

Marinette nodded, “And I hadn’t been able to say a word to him since.” Straightening up, she said, “But I’m not fifteen anymore. I was so obsessed with him for that entire year, there was no way I could’ve been friends with him.”

“Well, who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky this time.”

Marinette snorted, “I highly doubt it.”

She returned to inspecting her fellow masked skaters while waiting for the welcoming ceremony to start, idly wondering which one of them will be her partner. She’d been in the professional figure skating world for a few years now and after competing in her second Olympics last year, Marinette had gotten to know quite a few people. She thought it would be easy to pick out those she knew but she hadn’t expected everyone to actively try to conceal their identity so well. 

Three seats down on her left a short woman with spiked auburn hair and a simple purple mask was chatting quietly with her coach. A few more seats down, a man with chestnut hair tied back into a bun and an orange fox mask was hunched over, absentmindedly doodling on a notepad. In front of her sat a woman with her blonde hair tied into a high ponytail, scrolling through what seemed to be her Twitter feed. Marinette averted her gaze in case she saw anything that could hint at her identity; although she had a bad feeling she knew who that person was. On her right was a tall Vietnamese (she assumed from the flag sticker on his water bottle) man with tan skin and short cropped blond hair (she had originally mistaken him for Adrien) who smirked through his peacock feathered mask at the skater to his right, slouched down in the seat, apparently asleep, his ruffled blonde hair covering his closed eyelids underneath a black cat mask. 

There were other skaters behind Marinette but before she could turn around, a middle-aged man with greying dark hair and a turtle inspired masked walked in with another blond male with a cat mask. The blond rolled his eyes at his sleeping cohort, whispered something to the man in the turtle mask, and made his way over to his companion. 

“Good evening,” the man in the turtle mask addressed them warmly. Removing his mask he began, “My name is Fu, but I’m assuming you all already knew that from the gala invitations. Welcome to this year’s Art on Ice, La Mystère de Glace. Everyone from the head of the organization to our event planners are excited and honored that you all have agreed to take part in this exceptional performance and of course, for being attentive after what for some of you may have been a long journey here.”

From the corner of her eye, Marinette saw the sleeping cat wake with a start with a nudge from his masked partner. Holding back a snort, she turned her attention back to Fu. 

“Before you all go to the hotel to rest and prepare for tomorrow, I wanted to remind you all of the unique rules and regulations for this year’s gala. You all may have noticed that everyone in this room, myself excluded, is wearing a mask, including coaches. There has been great unrest in the world in recent times and Art on Ice has always strived to act above prejudice. It is of upmost importance that you keep an open mind, although it may be harder for some than others. That being said, please keep your masks on at all times when you’re here rehearsing in any of the rinks or practice rooms as well as during rehearsals at the Hallenstadion. To help with anonymity, some of your peers have agreed to participate in the gala by taking on some smaller roles in your pieces."

Fu nodded to the fifteen skaters sitting behind Marinette, who each had a mask of their own, some of them identical to the others in the group.

"We kindly ask you to not go investigating the identities of your peers, or spend time with them outside of the rehearsal spaces, although I don’t think there will be much free time in the upcoming seven weeks. Your coaches will be given your schedule as well as your partner assignments tomorrow after our informal opening showcase. As you’re all already aware, please prepare part of one of your solo pieces to perform in front of the coaches and skaters. If you haven’t already, please send your tracks to our technical manager, who is…well he was here a moment ago.”

Fu scanned the rink until his eyes landed on the hunched back fiddling with the rink’s sound system, “Ah there he is! Nino!”

Marinette’s eyes widened in surprise as she fought back a grin threatening to spread across her face. Alya was going to flip. 

Nino looked up from the soundboard and waved.

“Send Nino your track for tomorrow,” Fu continued. “After the showcase, we’ll announce your partners and you’ll each be given a few hours to begin thinking of music and choreography for your partner pieces. The rest of the day will be devoted to solo practices.”

“Reine Bij and Farasha,” Fu nodded towards the blonde in front of Marinette and the small girl on her left, “You both will practice your solo pieces in Hallenstadion tomorrow after meeting your partners. The rest of you will work here.”

He paused, eyes carefully sweeping over the skaters, “Okay, thank you all for coming. Rest up; we have a big day ahead of us. Good night.”

With that, the sleepy skaters slowly filed out of the rink and into Art on Ice company town cars that took them to the hotel that all skaters and their coaches were staying at. By the time Marinette and Bridgette both received their keys from the front desk, it was 11 P.M. and both girls were ready to collapse face first on their beds. They slowly made their way to the elevator, dragging their suitcases and practice bags behind them. Once the doors shut, they finally removed their masks. 

Marinette ruffled her hair out of her pigtails as she glanced at Bridgette’s room key, “I’m a floor above you.”

Bridgette nodded, “Seems like they’ve split everyone up.”

The elevator dinged and a woman in a smooth German voice alerted them that they had reached the fourth floor. 

“Remember to set your alarm for six,” Bridgette told her. “I will break down your door and wake you up if I have to.”

Marinette laughed, “You might have to.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’ll see you tomorrow morning bright and early at seven.”

“Night Bridgette.”

When the doors shut again, Marinette allowed herself to lean back on the railings and let out a slow breath through her mouth. When the elevator doors opened, releasing her to search for room 552 along a narrow corridor, she found herself face first in a light blue knitted sweater. 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see—” she began in heavily accented German.

“Es ist okay, Marinette?”

Marinette looked up to meet glowing green eyes and a kind smile that she wouldn’t have been able to forget even if she tried. If anyone had improved with age, then Adrien Agreste was like fine wine. Figure skating had no doubt carved every inch of his body into a chiseled perfection underneath his sweater and grey sweatpants that would’ve sent fifteen-year-old Marinette into a daze. It wasn’t like twenty year-old Marinette was faring much better but she had two Olympic games and five European tournaments under her belt. She was used to being around men with beautiful bodies. Or, at least that’s what she tried to tell herself as she obviously looked over Adrien Agreste from head to toe. 

He seemed either completely oblivious to her ogling or just used to it, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it’s been a while hasn’t it. You look great.”

“N-no kidding,” she managed to reply. 

“What brings you to Zurich?” his eyes widened. “Oh! Are you in Art on Ice?”

“I’m not sure I’m at liberty to disclose such information,” she replied smiling. 

“I’ll take that as a yes then!” he laughed. “This’ll be so exciting. I’ve always wanted to see you perform. Nino’s been saying how amazing you are.”

Marinette fought back the blush that threatened to invade her cheeks, “Thanks, things have definitely been busy since the last Olympics. It’ll be nice to do something different for a change.”

Adrien nodded, “Yeah, this’ll definitely be a nice change of pace from everything else.”

“How, how is everything with,” Marinette began, “I heard about—”

“It’s fine.”

Marinette winced at the abruptness in his voice, cursing her tactlessness. “So, um, you still keep in touch with Nino then?”

“Occasionally,” Adrien seemed relieved at the subject change. “Does Alya know he’s here?”

“Not yet,” Marinette grinned, “but I’m excited to see her reaction when she does.”

Suddenly, the elevator let out a loud beep, causing both of them to jump. Realizing that Adrien had been blocking the elevator door from closing, she said, “Sorry, I should probably let you go.”

“No worries, are you staying on this floor?”

She nodded, “Room 552.”

“Really? I’m in 557. I’ll see you around then,” he smiled as the doors closed. 

Marinette waved even though the elevator had already begun its descent. 

Shit.

She slowly made her way to her room, dragging her suitcase behind her. After opening the door, and setting down her stuff, she wriggled out of her jeans and collapsed on her bed, the day of practice and travel finally catching up to her all at once. 

As she was falling asleep, she couldn’t help but think it wasn’t fair that Adrien Agreste could manage to look so god damn perfect in a blue sweater and sweat pants at 11 P.M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive you guys! Sorry for the extremely long wait but life is such a butt sometimes. I'm taking summer classes so updates will continue to be sporadic but I'm hoping the wait will be shorter next time around. Thank you to everyone that read this chapter. Much love!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I've been debating whether or not I should start a long fic but screw it I'm writing this! That being said, updates will be sporadic. I will try my absolute hardest to get these chapters out as fast as I can but I make no promises about having a set schedule.
> 
> I also know next to nothing about figure skating so it'll be fun to learn about different techniques and terminology as I write this! 
> 
> Art on Ice is a real event in Switzerland and it's kind of amazing. I'm not 100% sure how many days it actually is but I'm taking artistic liberty on everything here! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you all have a lovely day. Feel free to leave comments, kudos, wishes, desires, hopes, and dreams below!


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